How is FCPS teacher/staff shortage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to give it another year before I decide to actively search for jobs at another school, in another state, or in another field. It’s the working conditions that are taking a toll on me and my mental health. What’s happening to education and health institutions in this country — the administrative-heavy corporate culture model that exploits working nurses, doctors, teachers, and professors, breaks my heart.

I took a couple of years off to take care of an ill family member... I am struggling to bring myself back to teaching this year and I know many teachers looking for other careers. Next year is looking worrisome and I don't think parents are really understanding what is ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our local elementary school is posting on social media with opening in their execption education (special education) for the base and CSS, and Enhanced Autism programs

Same. I can almost guarantee they won't be able to hire experienced teachers for the positions. They'll either get long term subs or hire people who have a random college degree and no training or experience.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Parents should be very concerned. Just counted vacancies for teachers. Did not include SPED instructional assistants or staff not working directly with kids. 604 teaching positions open. Some may not be listed so this number could be higher. 😫

Okay, I'm a parent and I'm concerned. I'll bite my nails until they bleed this summer. This fall you can point and laugh and say I told you so.

Then what?

Check your school’s vacancies- they aren’t evenly spread

Do you think FCPS isn't listing all the vacancies accurately. I know someone who says they don't want to put up too many vacancies up at once. This seems weird though since they need to fill these vacancies.

My school has one position listing for a teacher grades 4-6. There are 6 unfilled positions 4-6. One listing, 6 vacancies.

Oh wow....the number surprises me but FCPS not being transparent doesn't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Guess we all just have to hope our kids don’t have long terms subs next year.

We couldn't even find long term subs. We had a mix of daily subs until Christmas, one long term sub until March and then daily subs until the end of the year.

Are you at a bad school?

No. Most of my teacher friends had similar issues. The retired teachers who used to sub didn't come back after Covid. I wouldn't either. That left us with random people who want to be subs and many of them were just flaky. Many were new subs and could find better paying jobs with a lot less stress elsewhere so they did.

DP. Same situation here. It's not a good school/ bad school thing. It just had to do with the job not paying enough and being incredibly stressful especially last year.

This!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elementary principal here - staffing is a bloodbath right now. It's sad that we've gotten to the point of desperately protecting our ineffective teachers, knowing that we won't be able to fill the position with any teacher at all if they leave.

The days of pushing out bad folks and hiring with better teachers seem to be over. What a sad effect it will have on our students and families.

Well, the principal and admin team at my child’s HS managed to push out some of our best teachers this past year by micromanaging them and browbeating them in faculty meetings, so it is hard for me to feel sympathetic to administrators right now. Among others, we lost an advanced math teacher with a doctorate and 15 years experience as well as two department heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary principal here - staffing is a bloodbath right now. It's sad that we've gotten to the point of desperately protecting our ineffective teachers, knowing that we won't be able to fill the position with any teacher at all if they leave.

The days of pushing out bad folks and hiring with better teachers seem to be over. What a sad effect it will have on our students and families.

Well, the principal and admin team at my child’s HS managed to push out some of our best teachers this past year by micromanaging them and browbeating them in faculty meetings, so it is hard for me to feel sympathetic to administrators right now. Among others, we lost an advanced math teacher with a doctorate and 15 years experience as well as two department heads.

Same at my HS. All teachers who had options left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary principal here - staffing is a bloodbath right now. It's sad that we've gotten to the point of desperately protecting our ineffective teachers, knowing that we won't be able to fill the position with any teacher at all if they leave.

The days of pushing out bad folks and hiring with better teachers seem to be over. What a sad effect it will have on our students and families.

Well, the principal and admin team at my child’s HS managed to push out some of our best teachers this past year by micromanaging them and browbeating them in faculty meetings, so it is hard for me to feel sympathetic to administrators right now. Among others, we lost an advanced math teacher with a doctorate and 15 years experience as well as two department heads.

+1 and lack of support. ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary principal here - staffing is a bloodbath right now. It's sad that we've gotten to the point of desperately protecting our ineffective teachers, knowing that we won't be able to fill the position with any teacher at all if they leave.

The days of pushing out bad folks and hiring with better teachers seem to be over. What a sad effect it will have on our students and families.

Well, the principal and admin team at my child’s HS managed to push out some of our best teachers this past year by micromanaging them and browbeating them in faculty meetings, so it is hard for me to feel sympathetic to administrators right now. Among others, we lost an advanced math teacher with a doctorate and 15 years experience as well as two department heads.

+1 and lack of support. ES

The micromanagement of teachers has got to stop. It is crystal clear which teachers need to be carefully watched and which ones are consummate professionals who need to be left alone, so admin needs to stop micromanaging all teachers just because they are worried about a small handful.

Additionally, treating all teachers as though they are preschoolers themselves is unacceptable. Telling them when they are allowed to use the restroom (and chastising them if they have an emergency such as diarrhea or a menstrual issue and therefore have to ask for coverage for a few minutes so they can use the restroom at a "unplanned time"), when they are permitted to drink tea or coffee, or acting as though they have no right to express breastmilk during their planning or lunch break, are just a few examples of the way some admin are treating teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM for past 2 years-teachers are evil, lazy, etc
DCUM now- why are all these teachers quitting?

LOL...truth!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school has no listing for teachers. This does not seem to be an evenly distributed problem

I would say the MAJoRITY do. Lucky you!

you probably have an amazing admin!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you career-switch to become a teacher - and the field needs these people more than ever because of teacher exodus - work experience in other fields does not "count" in the pay scale and you're paid as a first year teacher. I speak from experience...I have 15 years of experience in international trade and 2 Master's degrees (counting the one I studied for and paid for in secondary education) yet am paid as a second year teacher. This only works because my spouse makes quite a bit more than me AND we're willing to live simply. Push SB for some sort of equivalency for those coming to teaching from other professions and more people might be interested/financially able.

90% of all the openings I see are in sped, bilingual, math and science. It's these folks who need to be paid more. If private sector people come in qualified to teach these areas, they should get more pay (along with all the people already there).
And speaking of experience that doesn't count, districts balance their budgets on teachers' backs all the time. I should be paid for 25 years of experience. Instead, because I have changed districts, I get paid for 15 years experience. This means I am underpaid by about 25K. I have thought a lot about leaving. But reality is that I am 6-10 years from being able to retire and damn it, I am going to get my full pension if it kills me. Other people don't have my staying power and they are leaving. It would make sense to pay people like me, who have moved districts, for every year we've worked.

There is no way 90% are within those disciplines. I just looked and there are almost 140 postings for grades 1-6 (gen ed and AAP)

agree it's across the board

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary principal here - staffing is a bloodbath right now. It's sad that we've gotten to the point of desperately protecting our ineffective teachers, knowing that we won't be able to fill the position with any teacher at all if they leave.

The days of pushing out bad folks and hiring with better teachers seem to be over. What a sad effect it will have on our students and families.

Well, the principal and admin team at my child’s HS managed to push out some of our best teachers this past year by micromanaging them and browbeating them in faculty meetings, so it is hard for me to feel sympathetic to administrators right now. Among others, we lost an advanced math teacher with a doctorate and 15 years experience as well as two department heads.

YUP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This school is recruiting on its web page. I've never seen that before.

https://eagleviewes.fcps.edu/features/why-work-eagle-view

So much Gatehouse-type word salad. Clearly this school is heavy on programs that will take so much time away from actual lessons.

This would make me run the other direction if I was looking to switch schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This school is recruiting on its web page. I've never seen that before.

https://eagleviewes.fcps.edu/features/why-work-eagle-view

So much Gatehouse-type word salad. Clearly this school is heavy on programs that will take so much time away from actual lessons.

This would make me run the other direction if I was looking to switch schools.

That recruiting page is a huge tell that the administration at Eagle View is terrible: reading it is like reading a teacher’s PD Bingo card.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you career-switch to become a teacher - and the field needs these people more than ever because of teacher exodus - work experience in other fields does not "count" in the pay scale and you're paid as a first year teacher. I speak from experience...I have 15 years of experience in international trade and 2 Master's degrees (counting the one I studied for and paid for in secondary education) yet am paid as a second year teacher. This only works because my spouse makes quite a bit more than me AND we're willing to live simply. Push SB for some sort of equivalency for those coming to teaching from other professions and more people might be interested/financially able.

90% of all the openings I see are in sped, bilingual, math and science. It's these folks who need to be paid more. If private sector people come in qualified to teach these areas, they should get more pay (along with all the people already there).
And speaking of experience that doesn't count, districts balance their budgets on teachers' backs all the time. I should be paid for 25 years of experience. Instead, because I have changed districts, I get paid for 15 years experience. This means I am underpaid by about 25K. I have thought a lot about leaving. But reality is that I am 6-10 years from being able to retire and damn it, I am going to get my full pension if it kills me. Other people don't have my staying power and they are leaving. It would make sense to pay people like me, who have moved districts, for every year we've worked.

There is no way 90% are within those disciplines. I just looked and there are almost 140 postings for grades 1-6 (gen ed and AAP)

agree it's across the board

It’s easier for the average parent if they think it won’t have an impact on their kid’s classroom. It absolutely might